Heat pumps work by moving heat from the air or ground into or out of your home using electricity. During the winter, a heat pump moves heat from the cold outdoor air into your home, and during the summer, a heat pump moves heat from the home out into the warm outdoors. An air-source heat pump uses air as the exchange medium, while a ground source heat pump uses the ground or a water source. Air source heat pumps can save you up to 50% on your heating costs compared to electric baseboard or furnace use, and a ground source heat pump is even more efficient, as the ground and water are a relatively stable temperature year-round, lowering operating costs even more. You can find more information about heat pumps by visiting the Department of Energy website.
All GCEA and Tri-State air source heat pump incentives are based on the total “size” of the heat pump system’s outdoor unit or (in some cases) units, specifically the outdoor unit coil capacity in tons; while the indoor unit(s) impact the system efficiency ratings, indoor exchange unit capacities are not to be included in the total system size. One ton is defined as 12,000 BTUs for this purpose.
The requirements and guidelines are for all the types of heat pumps listed below.
Requirements:
- Itemized receipts showing breakout of equipment and labor
- System size in tons
- Relevant equipment information and efficiency metrics
- Equipment manufacturer and model number identification
- AHRI certification number or document
Guidelines:
- Heating Season Performance Factor (HSPF) and HSPF2 is an industry performance indicator of heating performance for heat pumps based on the matched set of indoor and outdoor equipment
- AHRI (Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute) is a trade association that administers a certification program ensuring various types of equipment perform according to manufacturers’ published claims
For more information please contact Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA) at (970) 641-3520 or fill out the online contact form and GCEA’s energy use advisor will contact you.